System for performing a magnetic resonance tomography and method for controlling an MR scanner

ABSTRACT

A system for performing magnetic resonance tomography is disclosed. A control system creates a speech data stream from an acquired linguistic expression and generates a command library, which contains a selection of speech commands, to each of which one or more linguistic expressions are assigned. The selection of speech commands is loaded from a command database depending on a current system status of a magnetic resonance (MR) scanner. The control system applies a speech recognition algorithm to the speech data stream to determine whether a linguistic expression contained in the command library can be assigned to the speech data stream. If so, the acquired linguistic expression is recognized, a speech command from the command library assigned to the recognized linguistic expression is established, and a control command for controlling the MR scanner in accordance with the speech command is created.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

The present application claims the benefit of the filing date ofEuropean patent application no. 19154450.1, filed on Jan. 30, 2019, thecontents of which are incorporated herein by reference in theirentirety.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The disclosure relates to a system for performing a magnetic resonance(MR) tomography and a method for controlling an MR scanner.

BACKGROUND

Magnetic resonance tomography (MRT or alternatively simply MR),facilitates medical diagnosis as an imaging method in many situations.MR scanners, which have a coil arrangement for generating magneticfields to create an image on the basis of the interaction of themagnetic fields with biological components of the area of the body of apatient to be examined, are used to perform a magnetic resonancetomography.

Various settings usually have to be made on the MR scanner before andduring the performance of an MR examination of a patient, such as forexample input of patient data, setting of various scan parameters, andthe like. The patient also needs to be placed in the MR scanner. Thesesteps are typically carried out by medical technicians, and the settingsof the scanner are generally made partly via an interface provided onthe MR scanner and partly via a computer located in a separate controlroom.

In order to operate MR systems economically, and to improve comfort forpatients during the examination, a smooth working sequence or workflowis desirable. U.S. Pat. No. 6,301,497 describes an MR system in whichspecific functions of the scanner can be activated and deactivated withthe aid of an input facility in the form of speech control.

SUMMARY

Against this background, a need arises to provide a concept forefficient operation of an MR system, e.g. a concept by which it is madeeasier to make settings on the system.

This object is achieved by the features of the independent claims andthe various aspects of the disclosure as discussed herein. Advantageousaspects are additionally specified in the dependent claims.

In accordance with an aspect of the disclosure, a method is provided forcontrolling an MR scanner. In accordance with such aspects, a linguisticexpression is acquired by means of an acoustic input, e.g. by thelinguistic expression of an operator of the MR scanner being picked upby means of a microphone. From the acquired linguistic expression, avoice data stream is created via an analog-to-digital converter, forexample. A current system status of the MR scanner is also established(e.g. determined). The system status is defined by the working stepsthat the MR scanner is carrying out. On the basis thereof, the systemstatus comprises information about or defines the operations or workingsteps that the scanner could potentially carry out, using the currentstatus as a starting point.

In a further step, a library of commands is generated, which contains aselection of (e.g. a set of) speech commands to each of which one ormore linguistic expressions are assigned. A speech command, which canalso be referred to as an “intent,” can be understood as acomputer-readable dataset that contains information about the controlcommand by which the MR scanner is to be actuated. A speech command andone or more expressions, e.g. a number of synonymous terms orexpressions with different sequences of words, are assigned to oneanother in the command library in each case. In accordance with thepresent aspects, the selection of speech commands is loaded from acommand database depending on the current system status of the MRscanner. This means that a check is made as to the system statusobtaining in the MR scanner and, depending on the system status, aspecific group of speech commands is loaded from the command databaseinto the temporary command library or the command library is temporarilyconstructed from this group of speech commands. For example, each systemstatus can be assigned a predetermined group of speech commands in thecommand database. For instance, this group can be composed only ofspeech commands that are able to be used to create a control commandthat the scanner can actually carry out in its system status.

In a further step, a speech recognition algorithm is applied to thespeech data stream to establish whether a linguistic expressioncontained in the command library is able to be assigned to the speechdata stream, and there is a recognition of (e.g., identification of) theacquired linguistic expression if a linguistic expression contained inthe command library is able to be assigned to the speech data stream.The speech recognition algorithm can be realized as software, forexample.

Furthermore, a speech command assigned to the linguistic expressionrecognized from the command library is established. Thus, in this stepthere is a selection of the speech command that is assigned to theexpression recognized. Finally, a control command for controlling the MRscanner in accordance with the speech command established is created.The control command can be, for example, an electrical signal thatcauses the MR scanner to carry out a predetermined working step, e.g. tocreate a magnetic field with a specific field strength.

In accordance with another aspect of the disclosure, a non-volatile,computer-readable data storage is provided, which stores a softwareprogram that is configured to cause a computer to carry out the steps ofa method as further described herein, such as in accordance with one ofthe above aspects, for instance. The non-volatile data storage can beimplemented, for instance, as a non-transitory computer-readable mediumsuch as a hard disk, a CD-ROM, a DVD, a Blu-Ray disk, a diskette, aflash memory, or the like.

In accordance with another aspect of the disclosure, a system forperforming a magnetic resonance tomography is provided. The systemcomprises an MR scanner for performing a scan sequence on a patient, anacoustic input for acquiring a linguistic expression and a controlsystem with an input which is connected to the acoustic input and to theMR scanner, and an output, which is connected to the MR scanner. Thecontrol system thus has a first interface as an input and a secondinterface as an output, with the first and the second interface eachbeing configured for wired or wireless data exchange and can beimplemented, for example, as a bus interface, as a Wi-Fi interface, orin a similar manner The input device and the MR scanner are each in datacommunication with the input of the control system. The MR scanner isalso connected to the output for exchange of data. The input and theoutput can be realized here by physically separate connections orinterfaces, or can be realized as a common connection.

In accordance with the aspects of the disclosure, the control system isconfigured to create a speech data stream from the acquired linguisticexpression, to establish a current system status of the MR scanner, togenerate a command library that contains a selection of speech commands,to each of which one or more linguistic expressions are assigned,wherein the selection of speech commands is loaded from a commanddatabase depending on the current system status of the MR scanner, toapply a speech recognition algorithm to the speech data stream toestablish whether a linguistic expression contained in the commandlibrary is able to be assigned to the speech data stream, to recognizethe acquired linguistic expression if a linguistic expression containedin the command library is able to be assigned to the speech data stream,to establish a speech command from the command library assigned to therecognized linguistic expression and to create a control command forcontrolling the MR scanner in accordance with the speech command.

In general, the system aspects can be provided and be configured tocarry out the method aspects of the disclosure. The features andadvantages disclosed in conjunction with the method aspects of thedisclosure are therefore also disclosed and are also applicable for thesystem aspects of the disclosure, and vice versa.

An idea underlying the disclosure consists of realizing speech controlfor controlling an MR scanner. For instance, dynamically, depending onthe current system status or the actual status in which the MR scannerfinds itself, a library with speech commands available for the status isgenerated. This offers the advantage that the number of expressions thatare supplied together with the speech data stream to the speechrecognition algorithm as input variables or input data is reducedcompared to the number of expressions that are contained in the speechcommand database. In this way, the computing power that is needed toexecute the speech recognition algorithm is advantageously reduced.

A further advantage lies in the fact that the reliability of the speechrecognition is improved by the reduced number of expressions in thelibrary. This is of particular advantage since MR scanners typicallygenerate loud noises, which makes it more difficult to recognize speechcommands Through the dynamic reduction of the selection options, thespeech control becomes more robust, and the susceptibility to faults isreduced. In this way, the working sequence at the MR scanner is sped up,since the operating personnel can efficiently control the scanner byspeech commands. The speech recognition additionally offers theadvantage that it is done without physical, e.g. without manualinteraction with the input device, whereby hygiene benefits areobtained.

In accordance with the method aspects, there is provision that, when thespeech data stream is not able to be assigned to any linguisticexpression contained in the command library, the speech data stream issupplied to (e.g., transmitted to) an Internet-based online speechrecognition module, wherein the online speech recognition module appliesa recognition function trained by machine learning to the input datastream and provides (e.g. outputs) a recognized linguistic expression asthe output data stream. Accordingly, if the speech recognition algorithmcannot assign the speech data stream to any linguistic expressioncontained in the command library, a computer-implemented algorithmtrained by machine learning is used. This online speech recognitionmodule can, for example, obtain data for a plurality of MR systems viathe Internet. This further improves the application-specific reliabilityof speech recognition.

When a specific linguistic expression has been recognized by means ofthe online speech recognition module, there can be an optional check asto whether the recognized linguistic expression is assigned to a speechcommand in the command library. If it is, the method can be continued asdescribed above. The operation of the MR scanner is made easier by this,since the inadvertent input of incorrect speech commands is avoided.

One or more of the following states can be established as the currentsystem status of the MR scanner as follows:

-   -   a) the MR scanner is in a standby operating mode;    -   b) the MR scanner is performing a predetermined scan sequence;    -   c) the MR scanner is in a pause state, in which the performance        of a predetermined scan sequence is interrupted;    -   d) the MR scanner is in a preparation state for carrying out a        predetermined scan sequence.

If it is established for example that the MR scanner is currently instate b), the speech command library can be assembled in such a waythat, for instance, said library only contains speech commands inaccordance with which a control command will be created that causes theMR scanner to stop the scan sequence. In state b) the system status canfurther be defined by the type of scan sequence that is being executed.Through this, it can be determined for example whether specific settingparameters of the sequence can be read/changed. Starting from the systemstatus, the sequences that can be opened, changed, and started aredetermined, for example.

In accordance with an aspect, there can be provision for the commanddatabase to be stored on the data storage device. This offers theadvantage of especially fast access to the speech commands and theassociated expressions, which further speeds up and facilitates therecognition.

In accordance with an aspect, the acoustic input includes a microphone.

In accordance with a further aspect, there is provision for the acousticinput to be portable and to have a transmitter for wireless datatransmission, wherein the input of the control system has a receiver forwireless data transmission that communicates with the transmitter of theacoustic input. This offers the advantage of the acoustic input beingable to be arranged physically separated from the control system, whichfurther facilitates the work sequences at the MR scanner.

In accordance with a further aspect, the control system has thenon-volatile data storage in accordance and a processor for reading thedata storage.

A “processor” may be understood as an electronic circuit forcomputer-based data processing, for example a CPU. It can involve theCPU of a computer or a microprocessor of a microchip, a controller, etc.The processor can further also be realized, as examples, as afield-programmable gate array (FPGA) or as an application-specificintegrated circuit (ASIC).

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS/FIGURES

The disclosure will be explained below in greater detail on the basis ofexemplary aspects with the aid of the Figures. In the figures:

FIG. 1 shows a schematic diagram of an exemplary system for performing amagnetic resonance tomography, in accordance with an aspect of thepresent disclosure; and

FIG. 2 shows a flow diagram of an exemplary method for controlling an MRscanner, in accordance with an aspect of the present disclosure.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

FIG. 1 shows a schematic of a functional block diagram of a system 100for performing a magnetic resonance (MR) tomography. The system 100comprises an MR scanner 1, an acoustic input 2, and a control system 3.Also shown as a block in FIG. 1 is an online speech recognition module6, which is able to be connected to the system 100.

The MR scanner 1 is configured for carrying out a scan sequence on apatient, and is not explained in any greater detail in this document. Inparticular, the MR scanner 1 can have a generator circuit 10 forgenerating a static magnetic field and for creating magnetic alternatingfields in the radio frequency range, with which specific atomic nucleiare resonantly excited in the body of the patient, and a receivercircuit 11, in which an electrical signal is able to be induced in thebody of the patient by excitation of the atomic nuclei.

The acoustic input 2 serves to pick up or to acquire a linguisticexpression E2, i.e. to pick up spoken sounds that are created by anoperator. The acoustic input 2 can be realized as any suitable devicesuitable for this purpose, such as a microphone, for example. Theacoustic input 2 can be arranged in a stationary manner on the MRscanner 1 or at another location, such as in an operating room, forexample. As an alternative, the acoustic input 2 can be realized as aportable device, e.g. as a microphone of a headset that the operator cancarry around. In such a case, the acoustic input 2 advantageously has atransmitter 21 for wireless data transmission.

The control system 3 has an input 31 for receiving signals, and anoutput 32 to generate or output signals. The control system 3 isgenerally configured to carry out data processing operations and tocreate electrical signals. To this end, the control system 3 can have aprocessor 33, e.g. in the form of a CPU or the like, and a data storage4, e.g. a non-volatile data storage (e.g. a non-transitorycomputer-readable medium) able to be read by the processor 33, such as ahard disk, a CD-ROM, a DVD, a Blu-Ray disk, a diskette, a flash memoryor the like. Software 40, 41, which is configured to cause the processor33 to carry out the steps of a method (e.g., the method furtherdescribed below with reference to FIG. 2), which can be stored on thedata storage 4.

As is shown schematically in FIG. 1, the input 31 of the control system3 is connected to the acoustic input 2 and to the MR scanner 1. Theinput 31 can be configured for wireless or for wired data communication.For example, the input 31 can have a bus connection. Additionally oralternatively to a wired connection, the input 31 can also have aninterface, e.g. a receiver 34 for wireless data transmission. Forexample, as shown in FIG. 1, the receiver 34 can be in datacommunication with the transmitter 21 of the acoustic input 2. Anysuitable communication interface configured to receive transmittedinformation, such as a Wi-Fi interface, a Bluetooth interface, or thelike can be provided as the receiver 34, for example.

The output 32 of the control system 3 is connected to the MR scanner 1.The output 32 can be configured for wireless or for wired datacommunication. For example, the output 32 can have a bus connection. Asan alternative or in addition to a wired connection, the output 32 canalso implement any suitable communication interface configured forwireless data transmission, for example a Wi-Fi interface, a Bluetoothinterface, or the like.

The control system 3 is configured to create a control command C1 tocontrol the MR scanner 1 and to provide the control command at theoutput 32. The control command C1 causes the MR scanner 1 to carry out aspecific working step or a sequence of steps, for example to carry out aspecific scan sequence with a specific excitation of magnetic fields bythe generator circuit 10.

The MR scanner 1 is controlled in the system 100 depicted by way ofexample in FIG. 1 by a method M for example, which is shown in FIG. 2 byway of example as a flow diagram. In general, the operator (not shown),who is operating the MR scanner 1 may express a command with their voiceor by speech, e.g. by speaking a sentence such as “start scan sequenceX,” for the acoustic input 2 to acquire this linguistic expression E2and for the control system 3 to analyze the linguistic expression E2 andto create a corresponding control command C1 for actuating the MRscanner 1. An advantage of this process is that the operator can alsohandle other tasks while speaking, e.g. deal with getting the patientready. This advantageously speeds up the work sequences. The MR scanner1 can further be controlled at least partly “without touching it” orwithout physical (i.e. touch-based) interaction, whereby hygiene at theMR scanner 1 is improved.

As shown in FIG. 2 by the block M1, there is first an acquisition of thelinguistic expression E2 by means of the acoustic input 2. Thislinguistic expression E2 is made available to the control system 3 atthe input, and the control system 3 creates from the acquired linguisticexpression E2 a speech data stream (block M3). To this end, ananalog-digital converter (not shown) can be provided, for example. Thecreation of the speech data stream can optionally comprise a step inwhich a start and an end of the linguistic expression within a spokensequence of expressions is detected. This can be realized by softwarefor example, which is stored on the data storage 4 and causes theprocessor 33 to carry out this step. In this case, the acquiredlinguistic expression E2 is extracted as the speech data stream from theoverall data stream that contains the sequence of expressions.

As shown symbolically in FIG. 2 by block M3, a current system status S1of the MR scanner 1 is established (M3) in a further step. The systemstatus S1 of the MR scanner S1 can be given, for example, by a standbyoperating mode of the MR scanner 1 or by the fact that the MR scanner 1is executing a predetermined scan sequence or is in a preparation statefor executing a predetermined scan sequence. Generally, the systemstatus S1 is determined by a respective working step or by a series orsequence of working steps that the MR scanner is executing. Thisproduces, as a result, the further working steps that the scanner 1could potentially execute and thus how it can be actuated. For example,the system status can be supplied as an input value to a look-up table,in which information for the various system states necessary for theactivation of the MR scanner 1 is contained. The MR scanner 1 providesthis system status S1 to the control system 3 at input 31, e.g. as adata signal.

In a further step M4, a command library 50 is generated, which containsa selection of speech commands, to which one or more linguisticexpressions are assigned in each case, wherein the selection of speechcommands is loaded from a command database 40 depending on the currentsystem status S1 of the MR scanner. The command library 50 is generatedtemporarily for a respective system status S1, and can be loaded forexample as a temporary file into a working memory 5 of the controlsystem 3. The content of the command library 50, i.e. the individualdatasets in which a speech command is linked to one or more linguisticexpressions in each case, is loaded from a command database 40, whichcan be stored on the data storage 4, for example. The datasets that canbe loaded from the command database 40 into the command library 50depend on the system status S1 of the MR scanner 1. For example, the MRscanner 1, when executing a specific scan sequence, can only executespecific steps or further working steps. This information is held in thecommand database 40 together with a speech command that brings about thecreation of a control command C1 corresponding to the working step.Thus, in step M4, a selection of speech commands for the system statusS1 of the MR scanner present in each case is loaded from a commanddatabase 40.

In step M5, there is an application M5 of a speech recognition algorithmto the speech data stream to establish whether the speech data stream isable to be assigned to a linguistic expression contained in the commandlibrary 50. The speech recognition algorithm can be contained on thedata storage 4, as software 41 for example. When a linguistic expressioncontained in the command library 50 is able to be assigned to the speechdata stream, in step M6 the acquired linguistic expression E2 isrecognized, as is shown symbolically in step M6 as “+.” In steps M5 andM6, it is thus decoded (e.g. determined) whether the acquired linguisticexpression E2, which has been converted into the speech data stream,matches an expression contained in the command library 50. Thisfunctions especially reliably in the described method M, since only alimited number of expressions are contained in the command library 50,namely only those that belong to the speech commands possible for therespective system status S1 of the scanner 1. Thus, the reliability ofthe speech recognition is improved.

In step M7, which is carried out if in step M6 the acquired linguisticexpression E2 was recognized (symbol “+” in FIG. 2), a speech commandassigned to the recognized linguistic expression is established from thecommand library 50. This can be supplied in the form of an inputvariable for example to a creation module of software, which is storedon the data storage 4 for example, which then causes the processor 33 tocreate (step M8) a control command C1 for controlling the MR scanner inaccordance with the speech command.

If, in step M6, the acquired linguistic expression E2 was not recognized(symbol “−” in FIG. 2), because no linguistic expression contained inthe command library 50 is able to be assigned to the speech data stream,the method M may end (step M11). Optionally, a further step M9 can becarried out, as shown in FIG. 2. Here, the speech data stream issupplied to an Internet-based online speech recognition module 6 asinput data stream E6. The online speech recognition module 6 can bestored on a server 61 with which the control system 3 can enter into anexchange of data via an Internet connection.

The online speech recognition module 6 can have a recognition function60 trained by machine learning as its software, which is applied to theinput data stream E6 and provides a recognized linguistic expression asoutput data stream D6 at an interface 62 of the server 61. This outputdata stream D6 can be supplied to the control system 3 via the input 31,for example. In an optional further step M10, a check is then made as towhether the recognized linguistic expression is assigned to a speechcommand in the command library 50, as has already been described abovewith reference to step M6. If, in step M10, the acquired linguisticexpression E2 was recognized (symbol “+” in FIG. 2), then the steps M7and M8 are carried out as described above. If the linguistic expressionE2 was not recognized in step M10, as is shown in FIG. 2 by the symbol“−”, the method ends (block M11).

In steps M3 to M8, without carrying out the optional steps M9 and M10,there is a speech-based control of the MR scanner 1, in which speechcommands are linked to a limited selection of linguistic expressionsthat are stored in the command database 40. This is especiallyadvantageous in conjunction with MR systems, since the linguisticexpressions often involve medical technology jargon. Moreover, throughthe provision of the expressions in a database, an adaptation tocustomer wishes is facilitated, since the expressions that are linked toa specific speech command can be readily changed. For example, thecustomer or the operating personnel can re-name the expressions for aspeech command themselves.

The optional steps M9 and M10 further improve upon the reliability ofthe control, in that an algorithm trained by machine learning may beimplemented to recognize the acquired expression. The algorithm may havebeen trained, for example, by a plurality of expressions that have beenspoken by various people and/or which were picked up together withvarious typical MR background noises, etc.

Although the present disclosure has been illustrated and described ingreater detail by the exemplary aspects, the disclosure is notrestricted by the disclosed examples, and other variations can bederived herefrom by the person skilled in the art without departing fromthe scope of protection of the disclosure.

What is claimed is:
 1. A method for controlling a magnetic resonance(MR) scanner, the method comprising: determining a current system statusof the MR scanner; receiving, via an acoustic input, a spoken linguisticexpression; generating a first speech data stream from the acquiredlinguistic expression; generating a command library that contains a setof speech commands, each of the set of speech commands being assigned toone or more linguistic expressions, the set of speech commands beingloaded from a command database depending on the determined currentsystem status of the MR scanner; determining, via application of speechrecognition to the first speech data stream, whether a linguisticexpression contained in the command library is able to be assigned tothe first speech data stream; when the linguistic expression containedin the command library is able to be assigned to the first speech datastream: identifying the acquired linguistic expression; determining aspeech command from among the set of speech commands in the commandlibrary that is assigned to the recognized linguistic expression; andgenerating a control command to control the MR scanner in accordancewith the determined speech command; and when no linguistic expressioncontained in the command library is able to be assigned to the firstspeech data stream: transmitting the first speech data stream to anInternet-based online speech recognition system; and applying, via theInternet-based online speech recognition system, a machine learningtrained recognition function to the first speech data stream to providea recognized linguistic expression as a second speech data stream. 2.The method as claimed in claim 1, further comprising: determiningwhether the recognized linguistic expression provided as the secondspeech data stream is assigned to a speech command in the commandlibrary.
 3. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the current systemstatus of the MR scanner includes the MR scanner being in one or more ofthe following states: a standby operating mode; a predetermined scansequence; a pause state in which execution of a predetermined scansequence is interrupted; and a preparation state for executing apredetermined scan sequence.
 4. A non-transitory, computer readablemedium having instructions stored thereon that, when executed by one ormore processors of a magnetic resonance (MR) scanner, cause the MRscanner to: determine a current system status of the MR scanner; receivea spoken linguistic expression via an acoustic input; generate a firstspeech data stream from the acquired linguistic expression; generate acommand library that contains a set of speech commands, each of the setof speech commands being assigned to one or more linguistic expressions,the set of speech commands being loaded from a command databasedepending on the determined current system status of the MR scanner;determine, via application of speech recognition to the first speechdata stream, whether a linguistic expression contained in the commandlibrary is able to be assigned to the first speech data stream; when thelinguistic expression contained in the command library is able to beassigned to the first speech data stream: identify the acquiredlinguistic expression; determine a speech command from among the set ofspeech commands in the command library that is assigned to therecognized linguistic expression; and generate a control command tocontrol the MR scanner in accordance with the determined speech command;and when no linguistic expression contained in the command library isable to be assigned to the first speech data stream: transmitting thefirst speech data stream to an Internet-based online speech recognitionsystem; and applying, via the Internet-based online speech recognitionsystem, a machine learning trained recognition function to the firstspeech data stream to provide a recognized linguistic expression as asecond speech data stream.
 5. The non-transitory, computer readablemedium as claimed in claim 4, wherein the non-transitory, computerreadable medium further includes instructions representing storage ofthe command database.
 6. A system for performing a magnetic resonance(MR) tomography, comprising: an MR scanner configured to execute a scansequence on a patient; an acoustic input configured to receive a spokenlinguistic expression; and a control system having an control input anda control output, the control input being coupled to the acoustic inputand to the MR scanner, and the control output being coupled to the MRscanner, the control system being configured to: determine a currentsystem status of the MR scanner; generate a first speech data streamfrom the acquired linguistic expression; generate a command library thatcontains a set of speech commands, each of the set of speech commandsbeing assigned to one or more linguistic expressions, the set of speechcommands being loaded from a command database depending on thedetermined current system status of the MR scanner; determine, viaapplication of speech recognition to the first speech data stream,whether a linguistic expression contained in the command library is ableto be assigned to the first speech data stream; when the linguisticexpression contained in the command library is able to be assigned tothe first speech data stream: identify the acquired linguisticexpression; determine a speech command from among the set of speechcommands in the command library that is assigned to the recognizedlinguistic expression; and generate a control command to control the MRscanner in accordance with the determined speech command; and when nolinguistic expression contained in the command library is able to beassigned to the first speech data stream: transmitting the first speechdata stream to an Internet-based online speech recognition system; andapplying, via the Internet-based online speech recognition system, amachine learning trained recognition function to the first speech datastream to provide a recognized linguistic expression as a second speechdata stream.
 7. The system as claimed in claim 6, wherein the acousticinput includes a microphone.
 8. The system as claimed in claim 6,wherein the acoustic input is portable and includes a transmitterconfigured to wirelessly transmit data, and wherein the control inputincludes a receiver configured to wirelessly receive data transmittedvia the transmitter of the acoustic input.
 9. The system as claimed inclaim 6, wherein the control system includes a data storage device and aprocessor configured to read data stored on the data storage device.